Sweater Weather: How to stay warm and look cool

In the words of Game of Thrones, “Winter is coming”. Well not exactly, Winter is already here and it is cold out, I mean relatively. In Houston, around 60 degrees is when we get excited to break out all of the comfy and cozy sweaters. You ladies in the North, I seriously feel for you. The only numbers that should be negative are, well none come to think of it. Negatives always usually signifies a bad thing.

Anyway, I digress. As already established, I’m a petite woman and I have shopping problems, you can read about them here. Before Winter even began, I was on the hunt for everything soft, cozy, and warm. To my dismay, every sweater I found was too bulky and overly oversized. Now I’m all for oversized clothes, but when sweaters are past your knees and you could fit an extra full size adult inside, it’s time to reconsider. There’s a difference between baggy and looking like a bag, y’all.

After a lot of frustrated months, searching and trying on unattractive sweater after unattractive sweater, I stumbled across the mother lode in one day! Not only are they warm and cozy, but they also fit a petite frame like a glove so you don’t have to forgo style for comfort. Without further ado, I will now share my three favorite sweater trends this season so you can stay warm and look cool!

Cold-Shoulder Sweater

Photo Credit: Michelle Owen

Okay, if I’m being quite honest, this is the most impractical sweater ever. Sure is cute, though. First time I rocked this sweater, my dad felt the need to ask me, “Are you aware that there are two gigantic holes in your sweater?” **Serious eye rolls, “Yes Dad I am”. Got to love a good dad joke. Unfortunately, dads just don’t understand the things we do for fashion. Am I right, ladies?

What this sweater lacks for in shoulder warmth, it makes up for in overall body warmth. The knit is thick but not itchy, ensuring maximum heat. It is long enough to wear with some leggings or just rock with jeans. I love the bright red color and the ruffles are a unique addition to the cold shoulder trend. Plus, who would I be if I didn’t mention ruffles, I mean it is my namesake!

Photo Credit: Michelle Owen

Sweater is from Francesca’s and it fits true to size, (I am wearing a small for reference). I chose to style it with some white jeans from Express, (I am wearing a size 4 for reference but if in between sizes, I would size down.) because I’m a rebel who believes in wearing white after Labor Day. Sorry not sorry. I also chose some booties but you could just as easily rock this look with some over the knee boots.

Tie-sleeve Sweater

I first came across this top during a sale at Loft. If you follow other fashion bloggers, then you know, there are sales at Loft a lot. I was drawn to this sweater because of the glittery sheen and of course, the tie sleeves. The bell sleeve with ties has, by far, been one of my favorite trends of the season.

Photo Credit: Michelle Owen

I love the clothes at Loft because they are high quality fabrics and last a long time. They are also known for having a good-sized petite section. Sweater is a shorter length so I would probably refrain from leggings with this one, unless they are thicker like jeggings and with full coverage. In this sweater, I am wearing a regular small, rather than a petite small and it fits perfectly. I chose to style this with the same white Express jeans and booties, but this would look just as great with jeans or tucked into a pencil skirt for the perfect work wear outfit.

Tie-back Sweater

I guess the trend we are noticing here is, I like tie details. The tie-back sweater is another one of my favorite trends right now. I ordered this sweater off Zaful but have linked a different one below since Zaful changes its inventory so often that this sweater is no longer there to link. The sweater is super slouchy and has a really wide cut so it fits kind of 80’s Flashdance style.

Photo Credit: Michelle Owen

Sweater is one size fits all but the one I have linked will fit slightly differently. Wearing all black is one of my favorite things to do because it looks so sleek. Also, black is super flattering. I chose to really go modern-retro with this sweater and pair it with the faux leather leggings and platform boots I talked about here. This sweater would be great for a night out with friends or pair it with some yoga pants for the perfect transition piece to go from workout to street style.

Each of the unique details and feminine shapes on these sweaters proves you don’t have to sacrifice looking cute to be comfortable. Note: all of the items in this post have been linked below. If I could not find the exact item, I have linked something similar. Petite ladies, let me know where you found some cute sweaters. Also let me know in the comments how you feel about these trends and what other trends you’re living for in the new year.